The first Freedom Ride departed from Washington, D.C., on May 4, 1961, as an integrated group of civil rights activists set out to challenge racial segregation in the southern United States. Organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), these brave men and women rode buses into the Deep South, facing violent opposition and enduring great personal risk to protest racial injustices. Their courage and sacrifice became a vital part of the Civil Rights Movement, galvanizing national attention and leading to the eventual prohibition of segregation in interstate travel.
